


The Examiner

by roseslotusvioletiris



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Intelligence Jay, ME Hailey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22181638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseslotusvioletiris/pseuds/roseslotusvioletiris
Summary: Upstead AU. She was barely an acquaintance of Jay Halstead. Then she punched a morgue intruder in the face.
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74





	The Examiner

**Author's Note:**

> So here it is! My first Upstead AU and multi chapter fic. Hailey is a medical examiner and Jay is a member of Intelligence. Warning that I will not explore Hailey’s job at all. Medical stuff makes me faint. Hope you enjoy! I plan for this to be a short story, around 5-6 chapters. As always, I don’t own anything. Well, I do have an OC I inserted. :)

Hailey enjoyed working at night. Even with no windows in the basement of Chicago Med, she could sense the peace and quiet. Most of the new cases came in during the day, leaving the rest of her shift to analyze the bodies. 

Much preferred over arguing with cops over her area of expertise. 

Today was more uneventful than usual. Especially because she didn’t come in until the afternoon, as her co-worker Lisa worked this morning. She found herself doing more paperwork than anything else.

She was in the middle of going through the death records when she heard a loud clatter from the room next door. It was another morgue room, one that wasn’t supposed to be occupied at the moment. Of someone alive, at least. 

As a precaution, Hailey grabbed the broom in the corner. There was the chance one of her co-workers dropped by, but she didn’t want to take that risk of assumption. 

She inched her way out of the room, praising herself for wearing her converse today instead of her heeled boots. 

Holding the broom part with her hands, she wanted the wooden stick to be used as a potential weapon, she peeked her head in. 

There was a man inside, pulling a man out of one of the drawers. 

While the body wasn’t one of her cases, she recognized it immediately. The talk around the morgue, the whole hospital even, was the body that had multiple pounds of cocaine bags in the stomach. 

It was clear what the man was looking for. 

What the perpetrator didn’t know was the drugs were confiscated by the CPD right after they were discovered. 

Hailey debated about what she should do. The service down here was horrible, they frequently had to make the trek upstairs to use their phones. She could go and find someone to help.. but frankly leaving an armed intruder alone in a hospital freaked her out. 

So she stayed put. 

As she continued to watch, doubt began to filter into her brain. What was she doing? She wasn’t a cop. She should of hid and let the actual professionals handle it. 

But her feet stayed put. Turning her back didn’t seem like a smart idea. Also she already committed herself. 

A grunt brought her attention back on what was in front of her. The man was now dragging the corpse towards the door. Towards Hailey. 

This was it. She braced herself for the moment of truth. And then it came. He began walking out into the hallway. 

Hailey jutted out the broom stick, right against the ground. His feet made contact soon after, and then he tumbled to the ground. 

A gun clattered to the floor as well. Right in front of her feet. She picked it up, feeling of the cold metal against her skin a stark contrast to the nervous sweat that was covering her hands. 

Her finger automatically went to the trigger. She knew how to use a gun, one of her brothers was a cop and was determined to teach her years ago. She had a shitty aim, but with the culprit right below her, that didn’t really matter. 

He could sense her hesitation though. “Do it, I dare you.” He mocked. 

Her hands shook. She swallowed her nerves, and used the strongest voice she could muster. “Get up.” When he didn’t move, she spoke again, harsher. “Get up!” 

Everything happened at once. As the man was standing up, footsteps were pounding down the stairs. She lowered the gun slightly and her eyes flickered. 

That split second of distraction was enough for the intruder to leap at Hailey. 

She dropped the gun in surprise. Her second automatic reaction doesn’t fail her though. Because before she could comprehend what she was doing, her hand curled into a fist and punched the guy straight in the nose. 

He crumpled back onto the ground. “Bitch!” He cried out, hand clutching his nose. Blood was pouring out between his fingers. 

An insult of her own was on the tip of her tongue but the pain in her right hand quickly took her attention. “Fuck.” She swore. 

She almost forgot about their other visitor until he walked past her himself. For a moment she feared it was an accomplice, but her eyes caught the glimmer of a police badge on his hip. 

The police officer yanked the man up by his elbow, ignoring his yelp of pain. 

Hailey couldn’t help but watch in amazement as handcuffs were locked onto the intruder’s wrists. While she interacted with cops daily, she had never found herself in the actual action they undertake. 

A voice broke through her thoughts. “You okay?” 

The officer. 

Actually, Hailey peered closer, realizing this was not just any other face. She had seen him before. He was one of the members of the Intelligence Unit, a detective. And if she remembered correctly, Will Halstead’s brother. 

He was still looking at her, waiting for her response. “I’m fine.” She brushed off his concern, suddenly feeling out of her element. As if she wasn’t the one in her workspace. 

His eyes flickered to her hand like he didn’t believe her. But before he could comment further, a group of security guards tumbled down the stairs. 

“Got him all set for you, gentlemen.” Will’s brother presented the criminal in front of him like a trophy. 

“Appreciate it, Jay.” One of them said, reaching out to grab the culprit. 

Jay. That’s what his name was. Her memory became clearer. She has interacted with him multiple times, usually with a small Latina woman. He was never rude to her like some cops could be, but wasn’t the type to be anything more than professional during their interactions. She briefly wondered if he even recognized her. 

Their attention was then directed onto her. “We’re going to need a statement from you, miss.” 

Compliance was on the tip of her tongue, but the corpse on the ground caught her eye right before she was about to give her answer. “Can you wait a couple minutes?” She asked. “I need to put the body away.” 

To her surprise, Jay spoke up. “I could put it away.” He offered.

A nice offer, but Hailey felt uneasy. She couldn’t leave her work unattended, even in the presence of a cop. “I’ll be fine.” She waved off his help. 

After confirming with the security guards that she would meet them in the main lobby, she headed back to her main room. 

Of course Jay Halstead was close behind. “You’re telling me you can lift up that body by yourself.” Clear doubt was articulated with each word.

Hailey gave him a look of contempt. He was right, of course, but she didn’t appreciate how he inserted himself like he was the one with expertise here. “That’s an interesting way of offering help.” She slid her gloves on, letting the latex hit against her skin with a loud snap. 

His eyes widened. Apparently he wasn’t expecting that type of response from her. “It’s a pretty shitty way of offering help.” He conceded. He then stood there, waiting for her response. Waiting for her to direct him on what he should do next. 

That was good as any apology to her. The words ‘I’m sorry’ weren’t uttered, but the fact his demeanor changed and he allowed her to take control was more appreciated. 

She put a pair of gloves in his hands. “Gear up.” She said, giving him a tiny smile as a peace offering. 

She went towards the top of the body, lowering her hands underneath the armpits to hoist the corpse up. Jay grabbed the legs. 

They shuffled their way towards the open drawer. Hailey directed Jay with head gestures and vocal instructions. He listened well, the only time she felt nervous was when he tried to cut a corner. 

She couldn’t help but let out a small gasp as the left hip almost collided with a side table. 

“Perfectly fine.” He reassured her. 

She couldn’t help but watch as he put the end of the corpse down on the tray. In a slow and cautious manner, no doubt influenced by her anxiety. 

“You have to be more careful.” Hailey didn’t know how much had been compromised with the intruder’s actions. She didn’t want to risk anything else. 

“I’ll remember that the next time I’m carrying a corpse.” Jay dully noted. 

Hailey laughed at his deadpan expression on his face. For being so static and brooding in their previous brief interactions, he had an unique sense of humor. 

She headed towards the files to make a note of the incident, but remembered she told the security guards she would make her statement after putting the body away. Sighing, she made a mental note to herself to document it after. 

“Something wrong?” Jay was still here, much to Hailey’s amazement. She then assumed his police work was influential to this behavior, not wanting to leave until he was sure everything was figured out. 

But yet again, he didn’t stand there like he was in charge. He looked at her to make the call, for her to tell him what to do. She could tell he respected her and she appreciated that. 

She decided not to fill him in. As long as she remembered to document, there was nothing wrong with making the statement first. “Nope.” She said, enunciating the p. 

“Thanks for your help, though.” She held out a hand. 

Jay eyed it warily. Unlike her, he already took his gloves off. 

To her dismay, her cheeks began to turn red. She whipped her gloves off and stuffed them in her pocket. 

He took her hand. She couldn’t help but notice how calloused his skin felt. 

“I should say the same to you.” He said, much to her confusion. “I barely had to raise a finger.” 

What was he talking about? “You picked up a corpse, Jay.” She said dryly. 

He looked surprised at her saying his name, despite the security guard revealing it minutes ago. But made no mention of it, instead simply answering her question. “You’re the one who held the guy at gunpoint. And then punched him in the face. With a nice swing, by the way.” 

Hailey shrugged, not finding what she did to be a big deal. Her instincts took over, that’s all. “Thanks.” 

“See you around.” Was his reply, giving her a nod of his head before he left the room and disappeared out of sight. 

She could have followed him, but stayed put. A few minutes to collect herself wouldn’t put the security guards out too much. 

She needed to also convince herself that yes, the past 15 minutes or so were real life and not a dream. 

——

“Detective Halstead? Jay Halstead?” Lisa was intrigued. 

Hailey covered her friend’s mouth. Lisa was notorious for having a big mouth. She wouldn’t be surprised if the whole bar had heard her. “Hush.” 

They were tucked in a corner at Molly’s, a bar popular with first responders. 

“He’s so dreamy! I don’t understand how you think his brother is more attractive—“

Hailey mentioned that she found Will Halstead attractive once. An entire year ago. Plus she was extremely intoxicated at the time, recovering from a break-up. 

Despite this, Lisa believed, somehow, that she had a crush on the doctor. 

“I don’t think that, Lisa.” Hailey interrupted her friend and co-worker. How the woman never drove herself to exhaustion by her sheer amount of energy was astounding. 

Lisa’s eyebrows raised as a mischievous smile appeared on her face. “So you think Jay is more attractive then.” 

Hailey’s mouth dropped at Lisa’s words. Honestly she shouldn’t be surprised, Lisa tended to frequently talk about men, but Hailey knew her angle wasn’t innocent at all. 

Lisa wasn’t talking looks, she was trying to get Hailey to date. 

“I don’t want to date a cop.” She shook her head, ignoring Lisa’s protests. “The divorce rates are extremely high.” She added for her own benefit. That only made Lisa groan. 

“I just want you to be happy, Hailey.” The exasperation in her voice was clear, but it was the sincerity in her eyes that softened Hailey. 

Lisa tended to gossip and focus on men a lot, but she had a heart of gold and only wanted the best for her friends. 

“I am happy.” She really was. Especially after the events that transpired last year, Hailey was content to stay away from love for awhile. 

Lisa looked like she wanted to continue. But by the grace of god, she didn’t. Instead she danced her finger across the rim of her drink and sighed wistfully. “I wish I could have seen you punch that guy in the face.” 

A weight lifted off of Hailey’s shoulder with the change of subject. “I barely remember it.” Jay did tell her she had a nice swing. She decided to keep that information to herself. She didn’t want to know what Lisa would do with that information. 

An loud and enthusiastic greeting from Hermann, one of the firefighters who owned the bar, caught both women’s attention. 

It wasn’t towards them, of course. Members of District 21’s Intelligence Unit stepped in, quickly shuffling into an open booth. 

All the first responders in Chicago had a comradery, but the relationship between Firehouse 51 and District 21 was special. 

Lisa thought it was cute. Hailey thought it was odd, and she had to admit admirable as well. Somehow the two groups had developed a real kinship. 

The next thing she knew, she was making eye contact with Jay Halstead. His face lit up in recognition and she watched as he raised his arm to give her a small wave. 

Hailey waved back, before turning back to face Lisa. Miraculously, she hadn’t noticed the little exchange between Jay and Hailey. 

They began to discuss The Bachelor. Well, more like Lisa started to discuss The Bachelor. Hailey sat back and listened. 

She didn’t find the show interesting, but hearing Lisa reenact the drama of the previous episode was always amusing. 

Lisa was in the middle of discussing an epic fight between two girls when Stella approached their table. 

To Hailey’s delight, a beer is placed in front of her. 

“What did I do to deserve this honor?” She was friendly with Stella, but she didn’t think that resulted in free drinks. 

But Stella shook her head and gestured to the other side of the bar. “Don’t ask me, ask Jay.” 

Hailey blinked. Unable to form an coherent response, her eyes flitted over to Jay again. Unlike before, she didn’t get his attention. She’d thank him another time, she told herself, returning her attention to the two women in front of her. 

Lisa butted in. “Hailey will buy him a drink now, with her number on the side—“ She waggled her eyebrows. 

Hailey unattractively spluttered. “No.” She glared at her friend, who gleefully tittered at her shock. For working 2 twelve hour shifts back to back, she was still as mischievous as ever tonight. “Nothing in return. I’m not sending mix signals.” 

Stella, to her credit, didn’t jump in to join teasing Hailey. But her face showed her clear amusement. “Let me know if you two need anything else.” She said before turning away to head back to the bar. 

“If you say anything else, I’m leaving.” Hailey warned Lisa before taking a sip of her new beer. She was enjoying a bourbon before and relished in the different and new flavor on her tastebuds. 

Lisa held her hands up in surrender. But as always, her eyes were still glittering. “You just got a new drink though,” She pointed out, before diving right back into her story like Stella had never interrupted her. 

Hailey felt the tension in her shoulders dissipate. She didn’t realize how on edge the conversation had her. It wasn’t surprising, talking about her feelings always made her uncomfortable. 

But she knew, at least for the rest of night, Jay Halstead was no longer a topic of conversation.


End file.
